Fri Dec 13 15:23:00 UTC 2024: ## Madhya Pradesh Storms into Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Semifinals
**Bengaluru:** Madhya Pradesh secured a convincing six-wicket victory over Saurashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, booking their place in the semifinals. Saurashtra, batting first, posted a challenging 173/7 in their 20 overs, thanks largely to Chirag Jani’s unbeaten 80 (45 balls, 8 fours, 4 sixes). Despite a shaky start (36/3), Jani’s explosive innings propelled Saurashtra to a respectable total. Madhya Pradesh’s bowling attack was led by Venkatesh Iyer (2/23) and Avesh Khan (2/51).
Madhya Pradesh’s chase was initially steady, with Arpit Gaur top-scoring with 42 runs. However, the real fireworks began in the final overs. With 47 runs needed from the last four overs, captain Rajat Patidar (28 off 18) and Harpreet Singh Bhatia (22* off 9) launched a devastating assault. Bhatia smashed a six and a single off the first two balls of the final over, sealing a thrilling victory for Madhya Pradesh with four wickets in hand and 0.4 overs to spare. The match ended with Madhya Pradesh reaching 174/4 in 19.2 overs.
First Piper 